Life Isn't Perfect
by houseofanubislover10897
Summary: After Mal and Ben have the worst fight they've ever had she leaves and becomes friends with a bartender named Harry Hook. She becomes a waitress in his dad's bar/restraint The Jolly Roger. How will Mal feel when Ben and their friends show up one day a few weeks after the breakup and she has to serve them? What will happen?
1. The Fight

**Mal's POV**

This is it, he's done with me. Ben and I are currently screaming at each other in our appartment in the middle of the night. This is the biggest fight we've ever had and our relationship has been extremely rocky for the past few weeks. We've been dating since we were sixteen and we're now twenty two years old.

"Well at least I'm not all screwed up! God what did I ever see in you?!" Ben screams and we both freeze in place. Tears gather in my eyes and he looks at me in horror, a mix between shock and devestation in his eyes.

"Mal...I-I'm sorry I didn't mea-" he starts to say.

"No it's okay...if that's how you feel I'll just go, I'm sorry I'm such a screw up" I sniff before bolting away, grabbing my wallet before I exit the apartment building and run out into the dark dimly lit street, it's raining cats and dogs and my clothes immediately get soaked. I fainly hear the front door open and Ben scream my name but I don't stop, I just keep running. Eventually I make it to the south side of town and I collapse on to a random bench before sobbing into my hands.

 _'He's right I'm all messed up, I should've known our relationship was too good to be true'_ I think to myself as I curl up and beging to sob into my knees, not even caring that I'm getting more and more soaked by the minute. After a few minutes I feel a hand gently touch my shoulder and I brace myself for Ben to yell at me some more.

"Excuse me miss, are you alright?" an unfamiliar male Scottish voice asks. I lift my head up slightly and see a guy about my age with brown hair and silver gray eyes in a red leather jacket and black pants looking down at me in concern.

"Oh um...yes, yes I am" I sniff, starting to lower my head.

"No you're not, would you like to come inside? I'll fetch you something warm to drink" he says while pointing to the brick building across the street. A glowing neon sign above the door says _'The Jolly Roger'_ and a glowing red neon sign in the window says 'waitress needed'.

"Oh um...you don't have to" I mumble, feeling guilty that I'm making someone take pity on me.

"I insist, a beautiful girl like you shouldn't be crying alone on a bench in the pouring rain" he says gently and I let out a small sniff as I nod my head. He smiles and gently helps me up before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and leads me across the street. He opens the door for me and leads me over to the bar and seats me on one of the tall stools.

"Wait here darlin" he says as he goes behind the bar and disappears behind a dark green curtain. I hear him go up some stairs and look around the bar/restraunt. It's old fashoned but has a very comfy feel to it. The walls are a dark red and have pictures of ships on them. and on shelves there are models of ships in bottles and various objects you'd find on a ship.

"Here you are love" the guy says as he comes out from behind the curtain holding a blanket and comes out from behind the bar to wrap it around my shoulders.

"Thank you" I mumble as I shiver and pull the blanket closer.

"You're welcome, would you like a cuppa tea or coffee?" he asks gently.

"Coffee please" I say and he nods with a small smile before getting to work on brewing my drink.

"I've never seen a bar so empty" I say as I look around, we're the only ones here.

"Our last customer left two hours ago, we close at Eleven" he says with a playful grin.

"Oh wilI you get in trouble for me being here? I can go" I say worriedly, I don't want him to lose his job because of me.

"Oh no! You don't have to go, my dad won't mind I promise" he says reasurringly.

"Your dad owns this place?" I ask curiously and he nods with a kind soft smile.

"Yeah and one day it's going to be mine, but for now I'm just the bartender that lives upstairs" he laughs and I manage to crack a smile and let out a small laugh.

"How do you like it?" he asks as he puts a mug of plain coffee and a spoon in front of me.

"Oh um...some cream and sugar please" I say and he nods before putting said items in front of me.

"Thank you" I say as I stir some cream and a bit of sugar into the cup.

"Thank you Mr-" I begin to say gratefully as I grasp the handle of the mug with my left hand.

"Oh! Where are my manors? My name's Harry, Harry Hook" he says as he holds out his hand.

"Mal, Mal Diaval" I say as I shake his hand. I take a sip of the coffee and I almost moan at the taste, this is the best coffee I've ever had.

"Well Ms. Diaval it is a pleasure to meet you" he says with a bow and we both laugh.

"So tell me, what's beautiful girl like you doing down this way all alone in tears?" he asks gently.

"Oh um...it's a long story, I'd hate to bother you" I say sadly, lowering my head to look at the mahogony colored bar counter.

"Hey" he says gently, and I feel him put his haand flat over my right one. I look up at him and see he's looking at me with a kind, gentle expression.

"You wouldn't bother me, and a girl like you shouldn't be left to cry alone" he says softly lightly stroking my hand. I bite my bottom lip as tears begin to form in my eyes again.

"Well my boyfriend and I have been together for six years and-" I begin to explain. And for the next two hours I tell him my six year long love story. He just sits next to me and listens, occastionally asking questions. By the time I finish telling him about the fight Ben and I just had he is silently seething with anger.

"And then I ran out of the building and didn't stop until I made it to the bench you found me at" I finish and he looks over at me sympathetically.

"Mal I am so sorry..." he says apologetically and I let out a small sniff.

"I-I don't know what to do, I don't have any clothes, only a little bit of money and nowhere to go" I sob and he reaches around me to rub my shoulder comfortingly.

"Well...you could stay here, if you wanna" he suggests bashfully and I look over at him.

"Wha-" I start to ask him.

"Well like I said earlier I live in the apartment upstairs...it's not very big but there's enough room for two" he says and my eyes widen slightly in surprise. He just met me a few hours and he's already been incredibly kind to me and now he's offering me a place to stay in his home? Why can't there be more people like him in the world.

"You can have my room! I'll sleep on the couch!" he says quickly after seeing my look.

"Do...do you think I could apply for a job here? I don't wanna just stay here for free, I should earn my keep" I say and he nods eagerly.

"Yes of course, we're actually down a waitress and I think you'd be perfect for the job" he says and I grin.

'Well then it's a pleasure to meet you roomie" I say playfully, holding out my hand to shake. He laughs and shakes my hand. After I finish another cup of coffee I pull out my wallet but he stops me before I can try pulling out any money.

"On the house" he says with a genuine kind smile and I smile back.

"Come on, let me show you your new home" he says as he stands up and walks behind the bar. I get up and he holds the cirtain to the sidside for me. We go up the stairs and the first thing I notice is the living room is pretty much empty, not very many personal things except for an occastional picture and some swords crossed hanging over the fireplace. There's one red leather couch and a matching reclining chair in the living room and a big flat screen tv on a stand that has several movies on the little shelves.

"Have you and your girlfriend just moved in?" I ask curiously as I go to examine the swords.

"I don't have a girlfriend and I've lived here for three years" he says as he comes to stand next to me.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" I begin to apologise.

"Don't be sorry you were just curious" he says with a small smile, but I see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Well while I'm here maybe we could fill this place up more" I say with a small smile, trying to cheer him up.

"I'd like that" he murmurs and I playfully bump his shoulder. I can tell we're going to be good friends. He then shows me the small kitchen that can be seen slightly from behind the living room and the bathroom that's in the hallway to the right of the doorway and the bedroom at the end of the hall.

"You can wear these tonight and tomorrow on my break I'll take you to get some clothes" he says as he hands me some black shorts and a dark green shirt.

"Thank you Harry" I say as I give him a one armed hug. He hugs me back and I go into the bathroom to get changed. After I'm finished I put my wet clothes and the blanket in the hamper and put my leather jacket on the coat rack by the apartment's entrance and my boots on the floor next to his. I go back into his room to see him pulling an extra pillow and blanket out of his closet.

"Are you sure it's okay I can sleep in here? I'll take the couch" I offer and he shakes his head.

"Nonsense I'll take the couch, I sleep there a lot anyway" he says playfully before closing the closet's sliding door.

"Night Mal" he says as begins to leave the room.

"Night Harry" I say as I crawl into the big comfy bed and curl up under the deep red comforter with matching sheets and pillows. After a moment the stress from today overwhelms me and I quickly fall asleep. My new life starts tomorrow.


	2. Uma

**The Next Day**

 **Mal's POV**

I wake up and immediately reach for Ben, only to be met by empty sheets. I open my eyes confusedly only to see I'm in an unfamilar bedroom, and that's when all the memories from last night come flooding back. The fight, running off in the rain, meeting Harry and him offering me a place to stay and a possible job. I rub my eyes tiredly as I sit up, and the smell of pancakes and bacon hit my nose. I climb out of the bed and pad my way into the living room.

"Mornin' Mal" Harry says with a grin as he looks over his shoulder from his spot in front of the stove.

"Morning" I yawn sleepily and he comes over to me with a plate and a glass of orange juice.

"Thank you" I say softly as I accept them.

"You're welcome" he says as I sit in the reclining chair and put the glass on the small table next to it.

"You didn't have to make all this on my account Harry, cereal would've been fine-" I begin to say as he takes a seat on the couch and puts his glass and plate on the coffee table.

"I wanted to, last night was rough for you" he cuts me off gently and I grin softly.

"I um...I found some clothes that you can wear today until we can go to the store later" he murmurs as he takes a pile of folded clothes off from the cushon next to him.

"Thank you" I say thankfully as I place them next to me. He smiles and we begin to eat our breakfast. Once we're both finished I take our dirty dishes to the sink and wash them.

"You didn't have to wash them" Harry tells me as I put the last glass on the dryimg rack.

"I wanted to" I say with a small smile. I like to feel useful.

"I have to go to work now but don't be shy to come down if you need anything" he says gently and I nod.

"Here's the TV remote, help yourself to anything in the kitchen" he says as he gives me the remote before giving me a side hug.

"Don't worry I'll be fine" I say with a small smile. He smiles back before going down the stairs. After a few minutes of watching TV I get off the couch, grab the clothes and go into the bathroom. I take a quick hot shower, towl dry my hair and get dressed. I slip on the socks and go back into the living room and curl up on the couch. The clothes Harry found me are black straight leg jeans, a purple shirt and a beat up teal leather jacket.

 _'I wonder where he got these'_ I muse. Maybe they belong to a sister, or maybe a ex girlfriend. I wave that thought out out of my mind as soon as it hits me. It's none of my buisiness where he got them anyway. After a few hours I hear quick footsteps coming up the stairs and turn my head to see Harry coming up while taking off an appron.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" he asks as he puts it on the back of the couch. I nod and stand up. I slip on my boots and notice they're completely dry, Harry must have put them in the dryer while I was asleep. We exit the building and he leads me through the town, pausing occasionally to point out certain shops. We make it to the mall and go into one of the clothes stores. After a few hours of shopping we managed to find me five outfits, a couple jackets and a few pairs of shoes. We also go to a hair salon and I get my hair dyed back to blonde with light purple ends.

"Thank you Harry, I swear I will pay you back" I say as we sit at one of the tables in the food court.

"Don't worry about it lass, it was no trouble at all" he says, waving his hand dismissively.

"No really, you've done souch for me in the past twenty four hours and you hardly know me" I insist.

"Alright you can pay me back" he gives in.

"But not with money, just be happy and help me out with a few chores in the apartment and we'll call it even. Deal?" he nogotiates.

"Deal" I chuckle softly as we shake hands. I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

 **A Few Hours Later**

After talking to his dad it's official that I'm the new waitress of the _Jolly Rodger_ and that I start work on Friday, today is Monday so I gace plenty of time to learn everytjing Harry has to teach me.

"Oi Gil! Come over here!" Harry calls and a waitor with dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail comes over.

"Gil this is Mal, our new waitress and my new housemate" Harry says with a grin.

"Hi" I say shyly, holding my hand out for a handshake.

"Hey" he says with a goofy grin before pulling me in for a hug. I giggle softly and hug him back. Harry and Gil give me a quick rundown of how to hold down the fort before they both have to go back to work. To get a better understanding I sit at the bar and listen to Harry talk and joke around with the customers as he mixes and serves them their drinks. By the end of the night I have dozens of stories swimming around in my head and a belly full of peanuts and virgin pina coladas. As soon as everyone's gone Harry closes up the building and orders us a pizza for a late dinner. Thirty minutes later we're settled on the couch in our pajamas with a meat lovers pizza watching The Office. Four episodes and one pizza later Harry is fast asleep curled up on one end of the couch and I'm curled up on the other end fighting to stay awake. I could get used to this, being here and hanging out with Harry and Gil every day. But I know that I csn't hide forever, that I'll have to go back and face Ben eventually. But I'm scared, what'll happen the next time I see him? If ever? That thought becomes more and more foggy as I give in to my body's demand to sleep.

I wake up being lifted uo and through slightly ooen blurry eyes I'm able to make out Harry as he carries me into his room. I close my eyes again and he lats me on the bed, gently tucking me in.

"Sweet dreams Mal" I hear him whisper before feeling lips lightly press against my forehead. The last thing I hear before I succumb to sleep again is his footsteps leaving the room and the soft click of the door as he leaves.

 **A Few Days Later**

It's finally friday and Gil is explaining which tables are my responsibility and which are his. I listen intensely not wanting to miss anything and screw up on my first day. As the hours tick by I slowly becone less nervous and more animated with the people I'm serving. It's around dinner time and I'm just serving a family of four their meals when I faintly hear Harry arguing with someone at the bar.

"Here you go, I'll check on you guys in a few minutes" I tell the family with a smile before walking over to Gil who is just leaving the kitchen with a tray of food.

"Hey Gil what's going on? Who is that?" I ask quietly as we look towards the bar. Harry is working and looks a bit angry at the young woman that is yelling at him. She has dark cocoa skin and her hair is dyed teal and is tied in braids. She's wearing torn jeans, beat up sneakers and a teal long sleeve shirt. She must be the owner of the clothes Harry let me borrow on my first day here.

"That's Uma, Harry's ex girlfriend" he telks me and we both wince as she slams her fist on the bar angrily.

"I'll take care of this, go take care of your table" I say gently before starting to walk over.

"Is there a problem here? Babe what's going on?" I ask as I look between the two. _'Play along'_ I tell Harry with my eyes when he looks over at me with wide eyes. He winks when Uma looks at me angrily.

"And just who are you?!" she spits out.

"I'm Mal, Harry's girlfriend. And I'm afraid your causing a disterbance so I'm going to have to ask you to leave" I say hardly and she glares at me.

"No, now why don't you run along while I talk to _my_ man" she hisses.

"I am _not_ your man Uma, I haven't been that in over a year" Harry says harshly, keeping his voice down.

"Listen to me you ungrateful rat, I am the _best_ thing that ever happened to you and I _will_ get you back!" she hisses.

"That's it you're leaving, _now"_ I growl and before she can get a word out I'm grabbing her arm and dragging her to the door before pushing her outside the building.

"If you come back I will call the cops and file a restrainimg order" I say before going back inside.

"Hey...you okay?" I ask Harry gently as I reach the bar. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck as he stares down at the counter.

"Yeah...thank you for getting her out of here, I'm sorry you had to see that" he mumbles.

"No worries, it's not the first time I've had to chase off a crazy ex" I joke, thinking about Ben's crazy ex Audrey. He chuckles lightly and gives me a small smile.

"You didn't have to say you were my girlfriend, she would've left eventually-" he begins to say apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, nothing scares off a girl faster than hearing the guy she's obsessed with already has a girlfriend. Besides that's what friends are for" I say with a grin and he smiles back.

"Now get back to work we still have customers" I scold before going back to the table I was tending to before the incident. They've finished eating and pay the bill I supply them. And I grin when I see I was left with a seven dollar tip. Work continues like normal and by the end of the night I'm left with about fifty dollars worth of tips in my pocket.

"Here, this is for when you took me shopping" I tell Harry as I attempt to give him the money once we're settled on the couch.

"No that's yours, I told you earlier I don't want your money" he says while shaking his head.

"But-" I begin to protest.

"No buts" he says stubbornly and I chuckle quietly.

"That's your money, you earned it" he says with a grin and I smile happily. Ben's always been the bread maker in the relationship, he didn't want me to work and alway gave me way more money than necessary. It feels good to finally be able to make my own money and know that I earned it instead of getting it for free.


End file.
